Flotation separatory apparatus and process.



Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

1 #767476 GaZZow.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. CALLOW, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR TO METALS RECOVERY COMPANY, OF AUGUSTA, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

FLOTATION SEPARATORY APPARATUS AND PROCESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

Application filed December 30, 1914, Serial No. 879,720. Renewed January 21, 1916. Serial No. 73,498.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. CALLOW, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flotation Separatory Apparatus and Processes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a flotation separatory apparatus designed for the concentration of metallic ores by separating the metallic particles from the barren or rocky constituents thereof.

More specifically, my invention has reference to an improved apparatus wherein both the generation of the flotation froth and its removal and the recovery of the metal particles carried thereby are effected by vacuum, substantially as I will hereinafter describe.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in which similar reference characters indicate like parts in the several views :-Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a flotation separatory apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a slightly different form of the apparatus.

In the accompanying drawing, A, represents a tank of any desired and suitable form and dimensions, the bottom, B, of which may be suitably inclined; to this end, the tank of Fig. 1 may represent one of a circular form with substantially a conical bottom, as such arrangement provides the necessary incline to assist the discharge of the tailings or the coarser particles which tend to settle on the bottom and deliver such particles into a peripheral trough or chamber, C, and from which the tailings may be withdrawn through suitable pipes, D, the lower ends of which dip into a water seal or seals. E, provided in the periphery or the outer portion of a suitable pan or trough, whose bottom declines toward the center and is provided with a tailings outlet, F. This, however, is a mere arbitrary arrangement and may be changed or modified in any well known and desired manner without departing from the leading features of my invention.

In the type of apparatus shown, Fig. 1,

the inclined bottom of the tank, A, is provided with a false bottom or surface, G, of some suitable porous material suitably supported above the bottom of the pan to form therebetween a chamber or chambers, H, into which a gaseous medium may be admitted. While the chamber underlying the porous medium may be continuous, if desired, I have illustrated said chamber as being subdivided by partitions, I, to form a series of independent chambers into each of which the gaseous medium may be delivered in the same or different amounts and which gaseous medium thence escapes through the porous body, G, in innumerable fine streams and is disseminated substantially throughout the entire area of the pulp contained in the tank.

The fluid which the tank is supposed to contain'cons'ists of a mixture of a finely ground ore pulp and an oil or two dissimilar oils. or an oil and an acid, or an oil and an alkali. or some other agent which has the property of assisting in the production of a froth composed of bubbles of a gaseous medium to which the mineral particles attach as the bubbles rise through the solution. This operation is well understood in the art and a detailed explanation of it is unnecessary, it being only sufficient to say that the froth accumulates on the surface of the liquid. Ordinarily, this froth overflows the top edge of the tank into a suitable launder, but it may be otherwise removed as for instance by the process substantially as I have described and claimed in my former applicationSer. No. 831,050, filed April 10, 1914. In the present case, I have illustrated a tank which is substantially closed to the atmosphere. In other words. the tank is provided at its upper portion with a top or cover, J, which. if desired, may be constructed with a series of hoods, J, of substantially conical form and whose apices are connected with apipe or chamber, K, which leads into a closed separatory tank, L, in which a vacuum is created by suitable means, as by an exhauster or fan. M. said tank, if desired. having a partition, N, extending part way through it to prevent the short circulting of the current induced by the exhaustor fan.

From the bottom of the separatory tank, L, there may also lead a pipe of suitable length and whose" lower end may dip into a liquid seal, .0, and which pipe serves as a conductor forthe concentrates carried by the froth and which have been taken over by the vacuum as the bubbles are broken down or exhausted from the surface of the liquid in the tank, A.

The material to be treated may be fed into the tank in any suitable manner. In the type of apparatus shown, the pulp is (118- charged at substantially the center of the tank so that the ore may be delivered upon the higher end of the inclined. floor and the heavier particles thereof will tend to gravitate over this floor and be delivered as tailings into the annular trough or receiver, C.

- The gravitation of the heavier particles over the inclined medium will be facilitated by the jets of gaseous medium which are passing through the porous material, whereby the jets assist in preventing the heavier particles of the ore from clogging or blanketing the outlets of the porous medium. In the illustration shown, the pulp is delivered into the center of the tank through a feed pipe, Q, the supply of which may come from any suitable source and in any desired manner. The feed pipe is shown as piercing the center of the bottom and terminating a short distance thereabove and in a chambenR, formed in the central portion of the top orcover of the tank and depending into said tank, the walls of this chamber terminating a sufficient distance above the higher end of the inclined porous medium to permit the ore to pass under said walls and into the tank in an appropriate manner.

- The gaseous medium, of whatever charae-- ter, is admitted into the chamber or chambers underlying the porous medium through suitable pipes having valves by which the pipes may be independently controlled, thus permitting me to supply said chambers with 'of the tank by the action of the vacuum before mentioned. This action of the gaseous medium produces that agitation. and aeration of the fluid contents of the tank which seem to be so essential in the formation of the necessary froth in flotation processes, and the froth forming upon the top surface of the fluid in the tank is caught up by the vacuum and drawn into the hoods, J, and the'bubbles broken down and the mineral particles carried thereby drawn into the pipe or conductor, K, and finally delivered into the separatory tank, L, from which the concentrates may be drawn in the manner well known in the art. My apparatus has, therefore, for its essential purpose both the generation of the flotation froth and its removal by vacuum.

I am aware that heretofore efforts have -means whereby theamount ofgaseous medium may be regulated to suit conditions. In my case the control of the gaseous medium is absolute, as by the valve-controlled pipes, leading into the chamber or chambers underlying the porous material, I am permitted to admit just that amount of gaseous medium as may be desired, and this is made possible by the use of a porous bottom in the tank in which the gaseous medium is diffused in large quantities and is thoroughly disseminated throughout the entire area of the pulp overlying said bottom. At the same time the gaseous medium is admitted indirectly-through the induced current produced by the vacuum which connects with the upper end of the tank and which Vacuum has the further function of breaking down and removing the froth which forms upon the surface of the liquid contents of said tank. Y

Itwill be understood that I do not limit the salient features of my invention to the precise form of tank shown and that said invention comprehends and includes any arrangement having a porous bottom, inclined or otherwise, through which a gaseous medium may be admitted to assist in the generation of a flotation froth, and means for producing a vacuum in the upper portion of the tank for inducing the gaseous medium to pass through said porous material in controllable amounts and to rise through thebodv of pulp and to be drawn off and the bubbles broken down and the mineral particles carried over into a suitable receiver.

The foregoing results may be obtained when. using tanks of other than circular form. For instance, in Fig. 2, I illustrate two tanks, A placed back to back, and each provided with an inclined false bottom or surface, G, of some suitable porous material suitably supported above the permanent bottom of the pa to form therebetween a chamber or chambers, H, into which a gaseous medium m1 y be admitted and delivered into the pulp in substantially the manner before described. Each of these tanks, A has at the lower end of the inclined floor a suitable trough or chamber, G, into which awaeae the tailings or coarser particles which gravitate over the inclined fl or are received and from which they are discharged in substantially the manner before described. In the form of device shown in Fig. 2, the covers or tops, J of the tanks have the hoods, J 3, which connect with the suction pipe, K, leading to the separatory tank, in which the vacuum is created, as before described.

When the two tanks are placed together back to back as shown in Fig. 2, their abutting ends will be positioned so as to form the space, R through which the upper end of the feed pipe, Q will pass to deliver the pulp and cause it to be discharged upon the higher end of the inclined porous medium over which said pulp will gravitate to prevent the blanketing of the pores of said medium, as before specified.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 1. In flotation separatory apparatus, the combination with a tank adapted to contain comminuted ore and water and a frothable agent, said tank having a bottom restrictedly open to the atmosphere, and means for producing a suction in said tank to draw air through said bottom to generate bubbles and to destroy said bubbles and remove the mineral particles, floated thereby.

2. In flotation separatory apparatus, the combination with a tank adapted to contain comminuted ore and water and a frothable agent, said tank having a restrictedly open bottom, and means connecting with the upper portion of the tank for drawing a gaseous medium through said bottom to generate bubbles and to destroy said bubbles and remove the mineral particles floated thereby.

3. In flotation separatory apparatus, the combination with a tank adapted to containcomminuted ore and water and a frothable agent, said tank having an inclined floor restrictedly open to the passage of a gaseous medium, a closed chamber underlying saidfloor and into which the gaseous medium is admitted, and means connecting with another portion of the tank for producing a suction above the level of the pulp whereby said suction serves to draw the gaseous medium through said floor and to generate bubbles and to destroy said bubbles and remove the mineral particles floated thereby.

4. In flotation separatory apparatus, the combination with a tank adapted to contain comminuted ore and water and a frothable agent, said tank having an inclined floor restrictedly open to the passage of a gaseous medium, a closed chamber underlying said floor and into which the gaseous medium is admitted, means connecting with another portion of the tank for producing a suction, above the level of the pulp whereby said;

suction serves to draw the gaseous medium 5. In flotation separatory apparatus, the

combination with a closed tank adapted to contain comminuted ore and water and a frothable agent, said tank having a bottom restrictedly open for disseminating a gaseous medium throughout one portion of the pulp, and means for producing a suction in proximity to an opposite portio of said pulp whereby the suction serves bo h to generate bubbles and to destroy said bubbles and remove the mineral particles floated thereby.

6. In fiotation'separatory apparatus, the combination with a tank adapted to contain comminuted ore and water and a frothable agent, said tank having a bottom restrictedly open to the atmosphere, and means for producing a suction in proximity to an opposite portion of said pulp whereby a single suction serves to draw air through said bottom to generate bubbles and then to destroy said bubbles and remove the mineral particles floated thereby, said tank having an outlet for tailings.

7. In flotation separatory apparatus, the combination with a tank adapted to contain comminuted ore and water and a frothable agent, said tank having a bottom restrictedly open to the atmosphere, and means for producing a suction in said tank whereby the suction serves to draw air through said bottom to generate bubbles and then to destroy said bubbles and remove the mineral particles floated thereby, and a feed pipe entering the tank and discharging above the higher end of the inclined floor, said tank having an outlet for tailings at the lower portion of said floor.

8. The process herein described, which consists, essentially, in applying to a mineral bearing pulp containing a bubble producing agent a suction adapted to introduce and disseminate a gaseous medium throughout .the pulp, and so extending the suction to the bubbles produced by the admission of said gaseous medium as to break down the bubbles and remove the mineral particles floated thereby. 9. The process herein described, which consists, essentially, in applyingto a mineral bearing pulp containing a bubble producing agent a suction adapted to introduce and disseminate regulable quantities of a gaseous medium throughout the pulp, and so extending the suction to the bubbles produced by said gaseous medium vas-to break down the bubbles and remove the mineral particles floated thereby.

10. The process herein described of both generating and removing bubbles in a minsuction adapted to introduce and disseminate a gaseous medium throughout the lower portion of the pulp, and so extending the exhausting action above the surface of the pulp as to thereby induce the passage of the 10 gaseous medium through the pulp and the generation of the bubbles on the'surface of the pulp, and the removal of said bubbles and the separation of the mineral particles floated thereby.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 1 in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN M. CALLOW. Witnesses:

L. TINMENNAN,

DAVID E. THOMAS. 

